Lib Magazine: Meet Tamara Holder, One of New York’s Most Well-Known Television Personalities!

If you’re looking to read a well-informed opinion on politics, women’s issues, and yes, even sports, make sure you check out the articles of Tamara Holder, who is a New York-based television personality and a liberal commentator on Fox News.

Holder graciously sat down for an interview with LIB Magazine, so read on to learn more about what this spunky and opinionated woman has to say about the current state of politics, women’s issues, civil rights,and much, much more.

LIB: What made you decide to write about politics?

Holder: Unfortunately, ‘politics’ has become such a divisive word. I don’t feel that I write or speak about politics but rather, issues that we Americans share and should want to resolve together. For example, take abortion as it is not a one-dimensional political issue. Abortion has a place in medicine, healthcare, safety, religion and society as a whole. I write to share my thoughts with the goal of helping others see another side that they may not have previously seen, whether they agree with me or not.

LIB: How difficult is it to juggle being an attorney in Chicago as well as being a contributing writer?

Holder: I am motivated by challenges. While yes, it is difficult wearing more than one hat: being an attorney, a business owner, a writer and a TV analyst, it’s still no more difficult than another woman’s life that may include being both a wife and mother. My grandmother was educated at Southern Methodist University in the 1940′s and she chose her family over a career; and yet I watched her wear many hats as well. That being said, I’m motivated to do as much as possible in this short life and hopefully, this is just the beginning.

Holder: My male friend came up with the name because I’m always opinionated and I have a ‘position’ on everything! I do think it’s catchy though and at the end of the day, I figured it’s less self-serving thanTamaraHolder.com.

But on a more serious note, Internet surfers are attracted to catchy names and titles. I learned that when I founded xpunged.com upon my graduation from law school for those who sought information on expunging (aka clearing) a criminal record. My dear friend and I are applying the same theory to our new website sportscourtmedia.com – where sports and law collide – on October 1.

Finally, one thing that makes America great is that we can create any version of ourselves that we want. Purchase a domain name, write something you’re passionate about, sell something you love to make, and you will be successful!

LIB: As a woman who often writes about women’s issues, do you think we as a society will ever stop blaming women for sexual harassment and attacks that are beyond women’s control? How, in your opinion, can we move past the idea of victim blaming?

Holder: Women are always going to be attacked and undermined because women are terrible to each other. Women are jealous of other women and act catty towards one another. Sadly, until we treat each other differently, men are not going to treat us any better.

For a personal example, take my website’s name:TheHolderPosition.com. I am very aware of the name’s subliminal message and unfortunately, I’ve been attacked by conservatives just because of the name even though I write about serious issues.

Even during a Hannity radio interview a few years ago when another woman and I were debating Anthony Weiner’s resignation from Congress, I was on the receiving end of catty behavior. In an attempt to attack my opinion, the woman said something along the lines of ‘With a website like TheHolderPosition, of course Tamara would defend Weiner.’

“If we demand more of each other and of our leaders, we will receive better attention to the issues because of mutual respect for one another.” – Tamara Holder

LIB: What, in your opinion, are three things the government should focus on in order to improve the lives of its citizens?

Holder: The government should be like a marriage, a family, or any healthy relationship. There are always going to be problems but nothing is too difficult to solve. That being said, here’s my list:

Communication: I recently heard Dan Quayle speak and he said that Washington has become so divisive because our politicians fly in for the week, then fly back home. However, when he was in Washington, politicians on opposite sides of the aisle stayed in town, lived next door to each other, and socialized together. They dined together. Their kids played together. He made a great point. I think our leaders are lacking ‘dinner table’ relationships with each other and that’s part of the reason why there’s so much contention lately.

Equality: Too many corporations not only do not pay their fair share, they intentionally avoid paying any share by sending income and jobs overseas. Meanwhile, Louisiana has a school voucher program that requires the family’s income to be 250% below the poverty line before a child can go to another school. 250% is absurd and no American family should be living in such poverty. That being said, I do not believe that government should ‘spread the wealth.’ In fact, everyone should have the opportunity to become a billionaire.

Mental Health Awareness: How many cancer walks and fundraisers for diseases is there a year? There’s thousands but imagine if we gave the same amount of attention and money to mental health disorders and diseases. Instead, we treat our mentally ill like dirt but our physically ill with sympathy. Until we address mental illness and advocate proper treatment, we will unfortunately continue to see mass killings like Newtown, Navy Yard and Columbine.

LIB: Did you always enjoy writing from a young age, or was it something you realized you enjoyed as you grew up?

Holder: I have always loved writing and my Mom says I have always been ‘verbal’ and if you visit my blog, you’ll see that I write about everything from my personal life to terrorism to law and also to sports. Putting a pen to paper or words to a blog is a form of therapy for me. If I can educate someone through my writing, then it’s a win-win.

LIB: What are three ways our readers can contribute to promoting civil rights for all?

Holder: Just as the above question about ‘politics,’ I try to avoid the word ‘civil rights’ because too many people are freaked out by the term. Rather, I think that we should promote equality, which includes an equal opportunity to succeed. So, if you don’t want your kid to go to a Chicago public school, why should someone else’s kid be stuck there without a chance at the best education? We also need less angry rhetoric because after all, the media only picks up bomb-throwers’ language. It is a vicious cycle of negative attention. If we demand more of each other and of our leaders, we will receive better attention to the issues because of mutual respect for one another.

Finally, we should promote volunteerism; and even while you don’t have to volunteer in the inner city to understand ‘civil rights,’ try to volunteer at places such as the children’s hospital so you can see the difference between the have and have-nots. The more we step outside of our lives and see others’ situations, the more we will understand about each other.

LIB: Tamara Holder, thank you for taking the time out of your schedule and answering all of our questions!

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